Rancor over rabbi as future mulled

Updated 1:24 am, Sunday, June 3, 2012

The handling of Senior Rabbi Barry Block’s resignation by the temple’s board has drawn criticism.

The handling of Senior Rabbi Barry Block’s resignation by the temple’s board has drawn criticism.

Rancor over rabbi as future mulled

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A month after the city's largest and oldest Jewish congregation announced an exit plan for its longtime senior rabbi, members are split over whether to grant him the honorary title of “emeritus.”

The question will be put to Temple Beth-El members Tuesday evening at its annual meeting. In some years, the gathering has struggled to attract a quorum, but organizers are preparing for as many as 1,000 people and have hired an extra security guard. A parliamentarian and an accountant will be on hand.

The debate over whether Rabbi Barry Block should retain his title after he leaves by having the word “emeritus” inserted into it — a gesture usually bestowed in retirement — underscores a turbulent chapter in the congregation's 138-year history. It grew more turbulent Friday, when Mike Beldon, a prominent temple member, posted a letter online spelling out the criticisms mounted by Block's detractors.

After 20 years at the temple, Block, 48, abruptly agreed in early May to a two-year sabbatical ending with his resignation. Almost two weeks later, Associate Rabbi Ari Plost also agreed to resign.

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Temple board members have not aired the precise reasons for the leadership changes but said the congregation would get the details at Tuesday's meeting, which is closed to the public and news media.

The letter by Beldon, a former chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, commended Block's pastoral and community work. But it described frequent controversies, including alleged maltreatment of the former associate rabbi, an instance of Block losing his temper at religious school, and the temple's need at one point to hire a “coach” for him.

“None of us is perfect,” Block said Friday of the letter. “And I have never claimed to be perfect. I think a rabbi is in a difficult spot when accusations are made against him or her. I hope that my lack of a specific response to them is not viewed as acquiescence. I continue to pray for the unity of our sacred congregation.”

The letter is posted at “icareabouttemplebethel.wordpress.com.” It also questions the temple board's rationale for approving Block's separation agreement without explaining its potential impact on the temple's endowment.

The meeting will include a vote on hiring Rabbi Darryl Crystal of Savannah, Ga., as an interim rabbi. The board plans to disclose financial details of both departing rabbis' separation agreements, said temple president Bill Goodman, to foster an open channel for internal discussion and the airing of grievances.

“There are people who'd like this whole thing to go away because they don't think it's good for the congregation,” Goodman said. “But we need a way for the congregation to have time to go through this in an appropriate way.”

Many of Block's supporters regret his departure, accusing an influential faction of steamrolling him out. Emeritus status is fitting for his two decades of service, they said, and would provide an olive branch as he seeks a new congregation to lead.

“For rabbis with that length of time and service, it's an honor that is often given,” said Harry Levy, a past temple president. The proposal “has become a lightning rod for people who have been unhappy with Barry's service in one way or another, but the issue is not really about that. They're not tied together, in my opinion.”

Those who object to giving Block the honor say it is outside temple tradition. In the past five decades, the honor went to Block's two predecessors, Rabbis Sam Stahl and David Jacobson. They retired from full-time rabbinical ministry — as opposed to resigning as Block agreed to do — and engaged in voluntary service to support the congregation.

Beldon, who declined an interview request Friday, said in his letter that the status is “unquestionably, a very prestigious honor,” and asked if it was appropriate “for a Rabbi who has not retired, but is leaving under pressure? Does it make any sense to bestow our highest honor for a rabbi who has alienated a significant portion of the congregation?”

A group of past temple presidents also opposes the emeritus title and echoed the sentiment on the same website.

Block said congregations have granted emeritus status to other rabbis who had long tenures but didn't retire or remain in the same city.

“I'm deeply honored that the board of trustees recommended that I be named emeritus upon resignation,” Block said. “It's not at all unusual for rabbis emeritus to include those who retired to another community.”

Regardless of Tuesday's outcome, temple leaders hope tensions will fade in time. They said Rabbi Crystal has a reputation for healing fractured Jewish congregations, and if the congregation votes to hire him, it might help restore unity. “My heart is breaking about what's going on at Temple Beth-El,” Levy said. “I think it's in our collective best interest that it survive and thrive. I'd be heartbroken if there were long-lasting discord that harmed the temple and its future.”